1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a device for sterilizing products packed in cylindrical containers.
2. Prior Art
Devices for sterilizing products packed in cylindrical containers comprising an elongate, essentially cylindrical housing and an essentially cylindrical rotor located therein which can be driven via a central shaft, the circumferential wall of the housing being provided on the inside with a helically running, raised rib and the rotor being designed as a cage consisting of a number of rings placed behind each other, the center line of which coincides with the axis of the rotor, and a number of raised ribs fastened to the circumference of the rings parallel to the axis of the rotor, the outer edge of which ribs is located near the inner edge of the helically running rib on the inner wall of the housing, so that spaces are formed between the ribs for receiving the cylindrical containers, and bracing elements which are at an angle relative to the rotor shaft being provided within the rotor between neighboring rings to reinforce the rotor, are known.
In this known device, the containers present between the ribs are moved in a circumferential direction by the rotation of the rotor. Because the housing is provided at the inside with a helical rib, the containers are, also, moved in the longitudinal direction of the rotor. In view of the fact that the distance between the outer edge of the ribs present on the rotor and the helically running rib arranged against the inside of the circumferential wall of the housing is relatively small, it is necessary for the sagging through of the rotor to be within very narrow limits. For this purpose, the rotor of the known device is reinforced by means of a bracing element in the form of rods or wires which are fitted crosswise and under pre-tension between the neighboring rings of the rotor and together form a three-dimensional framework. However, a disadvantage of the known device is that, in fact, only one half of the bracing elements contribute to the reinforcement of the rotor, since the rods or wires can be subjected only to a tensile load and can absorb hardly any or no compressive forces. The relatively low flexural stiffness of such a rotor limits the usable length thereof, because the sag which occurs is limited in order to prevent excessive plays occurring in the guides for the containers. Furthermore, a rotor of this type has a limited torsional stiffness, as a result of which the rotor has to be driven at both ends.